Love Always Win
by sweetprincess900045
Summary: Frida gets a weird dream and things get a little unorthodox. A new hero takes Manny's fame, Frida now has dozens of boys head over heels for her, and Manny develops a crush for his friend. Can he set things back to normal, or will he make things worse for the two? And will he ever confesses his love to Frida? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Ch.1

The sun was now gleaming down on MIracle City, and the birds were chirping their oh-so familiar tune. Many people were getting up and heading off doing their usual everyday morning routine: go to work, head to school, open shops, and fight evil villains. Manny was walking towards school with Frida, filling her in about the previous battle he had with Sartana.

"Then I punched her right in the stomach, knocking the dead out of her, then I tied her up and left her hanging from the ceiling!" he was saying.

Frida beamed at him and nodded her approval. "That sounds so awesome, Manny! Too bad I had to miss it because my dad decided to go camping," she said forlornly. "It was worse than last year's trip. The only good that came out of it that a bear came out and attacked out.

"And that's good how?" Manny asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Duh! Any longer and we would've stayed there for an entire week. If that bear didn't come and attack us, I would have to sit by the campfire again and sing some stupid campfire songs and tell 'scary stories.'"

The two came into the school and walked down the busy hallways to their lockers. "But seriously, Manny. You're lucky to have superpowers. You get to kick butt and do all these cool things! And not just you, but your whole family!" Frida went on. "You got your life made for you with this whole El Tigre jazz. I feel like a old piece of meat just being let out in the gutter."

Manny frowned at Frida and draped his arm across her shoulder. "Hey, c'mon. You had some of the action, too. Need I remind you that _you _stole my belt?" he reminded her. "You're just as important, too. Besides, it's not like anyone actually pays attention to El Tigre."

At that moment, a bunch of girls ran past Manny and Frida, giggling. One dropped an issue of _Teen Style _magazine and Frida picked up it. "Really? 'Cause it sure looks like some people pays attention to El Tigre," she said. Manny looked over her shoulder and saw that on the cover was El TIgre, flashing his standard pose. the caption under it read, in bold letters, "El Tigre: Hunk of the Month! Read about this Tigre Terrific devil!" Manny smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck.

"Okay, so I have a bit of a celebrity status, but it's no biggie," he chuckled nervously.

Frida rolled her eyes and smiled brightly. "Anyways, I got us some scorpions. Wanna put them down Zoe Aves' shirt?" she asked, flashing a devilish smile.

"Sure!" Manny replied.

And the two ran down the hall, laughing. It wasn't long until Zoe Aves was running down the halls, screaming, "Ayudame, ayudame! Help, I got scorpions down my shirt! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The day had went by quickly and it wasn't long until school go out, Frida and Manny walked out of school, looking down at their referral slips.

"Aw man! If Dad sees this, I won't be able to go to Seaworld!" he groaned.

"Sorry, Manny," Frida said.

"S'okay. Anyways, I better get going. Dad'll kill me if I don't get a B on our next test. See ya!" Manny waved Frida goodbye and went off. Frida waved goodbye and walked in the opposite direction towards her home. She took out her IPod and headphones and began listening to some music on the way home.

"Woah, I never meant to brag, but I got him where I got him now!" Frida sang out.

"Meow."

Frida stopped singing and looked down. In her path was a kitten with orange fur and silver eyes. It looked at Frida and rubbed its head against her leg. "Awwww," Frida sighed. Frida picked it up and stroked its soft fur, listening to the kitten purr. "You're just the cutest little gatita I've ever seen!" Frida scratched under its chin, making it purr louder. The kitten looked at Frida dead in the eye and stared at her. Frida returned the stare, as if she was in some sort of trance. After a while, the kitten jumped from Frida's hand and ran off. Frida watched as it disappeared in the crowd, but merely brushed it off and continued on walking back home. It wasn't long until Frida was home, and she petted her family dogs.

"Ah, welcome home, mija," her parents greeted her.

"Hey, mom, dad," she said. "Where's Anita and NIkita?"

Her mom brushed a stray hair off her face and went back to cleaning. "Your sisters are staying after at school, to catch up on homework. Won't be back until six," she informed her. Frida just nodded her head and ran up the staircase. She walked into her room and flopped onto her bed, groaning.

"I don't even feel like doing homework," she grumbled.

Despite that, she still took out her homework and did them anyways. She plugged in her headphones and continued listening to music to kill time. Time passed by quickly, and it was was almost ten. So Frida took a fifteen bath and got ready for bed. She slipped her goggles off her head and put them on her nightstand, shoved all her homework into her backpack, then turned off her light and went to bed.

*Frida's Dream*

Frida lied sprawled in the middle of a forest, the foggy air thick and heavy. Frida came to and took in her surroundings, slowly sitting up.

"W-where am I?"

She got up and looked around the area, trying to find a way out. "Hello? Anyone out there?" she yelled. A figure came out from the shadows and stared at her with silver eyes. Frida looked at the figure, and the figure looked at her.

"You're that kitten from earlier," she realized.

The kitten hissed under its breath and began to enlarge into a monstrous beast. Frida watched in fright as the now gigantic cat creature stood towering over her. She screamed and dashed off into the forest, attempting to escape the creature. The monster chased after her, making the ground shake underneath its paws. Frida collided into tree branches, which had ripped up her clothes, and got splattered in mud, but still could not get the beast off her tail. After running for so long, Frida collapsed to the ground and panted heavily. Tired, Frida looked up and saw the monster creeping up towards her. It let out what sounded like a purr, its eyes glinting. Frida whimpered in fear and prepared for what's coming at her. Frida was expecting for the creature to attack her, but what she didn't expect was for it to jump inside of her. Frida's eyes shot open and began to glow, her body illuminating an aquamarine hue.

_'What's... happening... to me?'_ Frida thought, her body being lifted into the air.

She closed her eyes and let the light consume her body, then it went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2

The night passed by, and it was soon morning again. Manny walked to school by himself, since Frida had supposedly left her home. "Man, I knew I should have ripped up my referral," he grumbled. He sighed and walked into the school. "Note to self: always let Senor Chapi eat your referral." Just as he reached his locker, one of his classmates was passing by with his friend.

"Yo, did you see Suarez today?" he asked.

"Hot as hell, man," the other said.

Manny turned to ask them what they were talking about, but stopped himself when he saw Frida stroll down the hallway. Instead of her standard outfit, she wore a black T-shirt with a skull on it, her usual red skirt, and black lace up boots. A small red ribbon with a skull was on left side of her head, replacing her goggles, and her usual spiked bracelets completed her look. Manny stared at Frida in stunned silence, his mouth wide open. Frida walked up to him and smiled. "Hi , Manny. What's up?" she greeted.

"H-hey, Frida," he stammered. "Um... w-what's with the new wardrobe? N-not that I like it or anything."

Frida smiled and planted her hand on her hip, the other in her hair. "You like? Thought I'd do something different. MIx things up a bit," she answered. "I woke up with a sudden change and, well, this happened. Manny nodded and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, it's sure is working for you," he said.

Frida smiled and dropped her hand from her hair. "Manny, I just want you to know that I'm still the same Frida Suarez. I'm still your best friend." Frida reminded. "Just because I changed my look doesn't mean I'm a different person, okay?" Manny smiled and nodded his head.

"Great! I gotta meet up with the other Atomic Sombreros, but I'll catch you later!"

She waved goodbye and continued to walk down the hall. Manny stared after her, and ran his hand through his hair. The school bell rang and everyone headed into class. Snapping back to reality, he dragged himself to his math class. Before he went in, he caught sight of Frida walking down the hall with her band. She caught his eye and waved at him. Manny blushed and waved back then hurriedly rushed into his class.

'The hell was that?" he asked himself. "Why was I acting so weird around Frida?"

* * *

The day went by quickly and it wasn't long until school came to a close. Manny was on his way home, eating some Doritos when Frida ran up to him. "Hey. What's up?" she said. Manny shrugged and handed her the bag. "Nothing much. Thought you had band practice." Frida popped some Doritos in her mouth and wiped the crumbs off her mouth. "Practice was cancelled due to our detention. I can't believe the principal made us clean the cafeteria," she said in disgust.

"That's nothing. One time, Principal Gonzales made a kid scrub every bathroom in the school," Manny informed her.

"Ew, that's gross," she whined

Manny merely just shrugged and continued to eat his chips. "Yeah, but that's Principal Gonzales for you. Remember the time he forced Miguel to eat that four month burrito just because he back talked him?" he said. Manny looked behind his shoulder and saw Frida hunched over, cluthing onto her stomach, moaning in pain. Manny quickly went over to her side.

"Frida? You okay?" he asked. "This is what happens when you eat that 'mystery meat' crap. We don't know what kind of shit the lunch lady put in it."

Frida pushed Manny away and, and groaned. "I'm fine, really. Just… a bit sick, that's all. I caught a cold last night, and my head's driving me crazy."

"Oh, well, let me help you home-"

Frida grabbed Manny's shirt and pulled him forward, until their noses practically touched. "NO!" she yelled. Manny, who was a bit scared, noticed Frida's eyes. Her pupils were small and thin, and staring at him intently. "No," Frida repeated. "I'm fine. I just need to shake off the sick feeling in my stomach." She let go of his shirt and waved. "See ya later, Rivera." Manny watched as Frida walk away briskly from him, disappearing into the crowd. Manny stayed fixed in the spot, staring into space absentmindedly, until a small drop of water, hit the tip of his nose. He looked up to see several rain drops sprinkling down onto the city.

"Shit! It's raining!" he cursed.

He turned around and ran towards his house as fast as he could. Luckily for Manny, his house wasn't far, so he made it just before the rain got worse. He walked into his house and dropped his backpack onto the floor and collapsed onto the couch. Rodolfo walked in and smiled at his son.

"Welcome home, mijo," Roldolfo said.

"Hey, dad. Where's Grandpapí?" Manny asked.

"He's still in his room, mourning over Sartana," he answered. "In fact, he's so hurt, that he's actually kissing that life-like mannequin of Sartana. It's very disturbing."

Roldolfo shuddered. "I knew I should've set him up on blind dates with villainesses." At that moment, loud bawling was heard from Grandpapí's room. "Sartana! Mí amor, come back to me! Sartana!" he wailed. Roldolfo sighed and trudged over to the room. "I'll get his blankie," he said.

"Have fun," Manny called after him.

Manny finished his burrito and pulled his backpack towards him. "Well, might as well do my homework," he mumbled. He took out his math book and started on his homework. Time flew quickly, as Manny was nearly complete with all his homework. Just as he was finishing up his English essay, something zipped past the window. Manny stared out the window for a while, but then shook it off and returned to his paper. Again, something ran out into the patio. Manny stared outside and squinted. Out in the patio, a shadow stood still, its cold eyes staring at him. Manny slowly got up and crept towards the patio door. Before Manny could touch the handle, the figure crashed through the glass and moved stealthily towards Manny. The silhouette was a giant cat like beast with orange fur and piercing blue eyes. Manny spun his belt buckle and transformed into El Tigre.

"I don't know where you came from, but you chose to mess with the wrong tigre!" he yelled.

The creature growled and pounced on El Tigre, but was kicked off. The beast yelped and glowered at the El Tigre, growling under its breath. The hero charged and jumped over its head and ran out to the patio. "Hey, you giant furball! Catch me if you can!" he shouted, jumping over the banister skillfully and landed on the sidewalk. The monster turned around and ran after El tigre, lashing its claws.

"Whoa! Hey watch where you shred that thing!" El tigre yelled.

El Tigre stopped and turned to face the beast, glaring at it. "There's only one beast in this town, and that's me!" he growled. He runs towards the beast, leaps, and spin into a ball. He collided into the monster's stomach and landed on the ground, watching the beast crash into a wall. The creature shook off the pain and roared, its cry spread across the city. Manny covered his ears and flinched.

"Damn! People are trying to sleep, and I was supposed to be playing video games if you haven't showed up!" he exclaimed.

In reply, the monster picked up the hero and threw him into a shop window. El Tigre brushed off the pain and glowered, his green eyes flashing. "Now… things get serious," he snarled. He charged out of the shop and tackled the beast to the ground. He pinned the monster's hairy paws to the ground, attempting to hold him down. With a forceful shove, the beast threw El Tigre off, got up and scampered off into the the dark evening. El Tigre groaned and got up, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

"Well, that went well," he mumbled.

He was about to walk off when he saw something lie on the ground. He picked it up and realized that it was one of Frida's spiked bracelets, snapped into two. El Tigre looked at the route the beast took, then turned around and walked home, staring at the bracelet.


	3. Chapter 3

As El Tigre walked back home, all he could ever think about was that beast. What was it exactly? Where did it come from? Why was it here? Questions swarmed his brain like a hive of bees, overfilling his mind with so many questions. "What was that thing anyways?" he mumbled under his breath. "That was like a cat hybrid or whatever you call it. I'm just glad it's gone now." As he walked past an alley, he heard some moaning and coughing. Curious, he slowly walked in and stared at the alleyway. "Hello? Anyone in here?" he said. He saw a foot popping out from behind the trash can and walked over, dropping the bracelet at the sight. There, lying on a cardboard, was Frida. She was in her pajamas, now torn and ripped all over, hair disheveled and in shambles and marks crawled up her legs and covered both her arms.

"Frida?" El Tigre asked, dropping to his knees. "What happened to you?"

Frida sat up and rubbed the side of her arms. "I-I don't even know," she said. "I don't remember anything in between." El Tigre looked at Frida and saw how badly she was shivering, so he picked her up bridal style and headed down to his house. Frida moaned and nuzzled her head at the crook of El Tigre's neck, which made El Tigre's tail swish back and forth in delight. Manny couldn't help it; he purred. "S-so you don't remember anything about what happened or anything?" he asked, trying to hard not to purr. Frida shook her head and looked at him tiredly. "No. I could try to remember, but it won't do any good," she said.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed, jumping through his room window.

He carried Frida over to his bed and gently settled her in. Frida smiled at El Tigre and rubbed cheek. "Thanks for doing this, Manny. You're a real pal," she said. She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently. She pulled away and settled back into bed, slowly drifting to sleep. El Tigre stared at Frida, who was peacefully sleeping, and smiled softly. He pulled the blanket up to her chin and brushed her hair gently. He de-transformed back into Manny and slipped into bed. Taking one more glance at Frida, he pulled her closer and fell asleep.

A week later, Manny was walking home from school, tiredness written all over his face. "I'm so tired. That lecture in math nearly put me to sleep," he groaned. It's been a week since the beast came out and attacked Miracle City, and hasn't shown its face since. Though Manny would like to have some questioned answered, he was glad that the cat like creature haven't popped up. Manny kicked a pebble that was on his path when Frida ran up to join him . "Hey, Manny," she said. "What's up?" Manny shoved his hands in his pocket and shrugged. "Nothing much. Still going through life," he answered. Frida nodded and looked at him.

"Listen, I know it's Friday, but is it okay if I come over to your house and study over there?" she asked. "Anita and Nikita are going to bring their boyfriends over, and the last thing I need is to be surrounded by lovey dovey ness."

"Uh," Manny said. He was going to answer, but he didn't know what to tell her exactly. Now that he thought about it, Frida always came to his house to hang out. Why was it any different now?

_**Just tell her 'yes'. You know you want to **_

_It's not like I don't want to. It's just-_

_**You're shy around your crush? Yeah, I figured.**_

_She's not my crush!_

_**Oh yeah? Then why are you blushing?**_

Manny stopped arguing with himself and smiled at Frida. "Of course you can come over. You don't need to ask," he said. Frida smiled and finished up lunch. "Thanks. I appreciate it," she said, nudging him with her arm. "By the way, you still have a chocolate milk mustache over your mouth from lunch." Manny blushed and wiped the chocolate off his mouth and. "So can I ask you something, Frida?" he said after a while.

"Sure. What's on your mind, Rivera?"

"How exactly did you end up in that alley anyway?" he asked. Frida froze a bit and looked at Manny like a deer caught in a headlight. "I-it's complicated," she finally said in a hurried voice. "You wouldn't believe me." Manny raised an eyebrow at her weird behavior and crossed his arms. "Frida, I've known you my entire life. Whatever you have to say can't be that complicated," he said. Frida looked away from his gaze and looked at the ground. Manny spotted some of the marks that were from that night and took her hand.

"More importantly, how did you get these marks?" he asked.

Frida tried to yank her arms away from his hold, but he held onto her wrist. "Forget it, Manny. It's over now. Whatever happened in the past, stays in the past. There's no reason to bring it up," Frida argued.

"Yes there is!" Manny protested.

"And why's that?" she asked.

"Because I care about you, Frida!" Manny exclaimed. Frida froze and looked at Manny. Manny blushed and looked at their hands. "We've known each other for a long time, Frida. Since kindergarden, really. You mean a lot me. If anything were to happen to you, I'd blame myself. You my best friend, Frida. And I really cherish our friendship."

"Manny," Frida said.

_**Are you sure she's just a friend to you?**_

"Will you shut up? No one asked you!" Manny exclaimed.

Frida stared at him with a blank expression. A few passerbys heard his outcry and glanced at him with raised eyebrows. Manny's face was beet red and he hung his head low as he dragged frida away from the crowd. "Uh… you okay, Manny?" Frida asked warily, staring at the back of his head. "Uh, yeah. Sorry 'bout that. I was just… tired, that's all." Frida nodded and looked down at her hands.

"Manny?"

"Yeah?"

"C-could you let go of my hand?"

Manny stopped walking and looked down to see that he was still holding Frida's hand. "S-sorry," he mumbled, dropping Frida's hands and shoving his own into his pockets. By the time they reached Manny's house, they were greeted with Grandpapí singing in a loud mournful voice.

"Sartana, come back to me," he wailed. "I should have never set you free! Why, baby? Come back! Baby, come back!"

Manny and Frida stared at Grandpapí in disgust, cringing at the sight. They nearly threw up when they saw that Grandpapí ripped open his shirt. Frida closed her eyes and looked away. "Please don't tell me this is a normal thing now in the Rivera household," she said, her hand on her throat.

"No. Trust me, if it was, I would have done something to prevent it," he said, gagging. "Grandpapi, can't you mourn someplace else?"

Grandpapi sobbed and got down on his knees, banging his fists on the floor and bawling out Sartana's name over and over again. The teens could only watch this scene unfold in front of his eyes. Mann stared at his grandfather with disdain, until he finally took Frida's hand and dragged her away.

"Come on. I think we've seen gruesomeness for one day," he deadpannded.

He led her into her room and closed the door, then threw his bag aside and plopped onto his bed. Frida sat next to him and pulled out her math textbook and math book. She flipped open the textbook and began working on her homework.

"You know, you still haven't answered my question," Manny said.

"Can we just forget it even happened and move on?" Frida asked.

"Frida!" Manny exclaimed. He grabbed her arms and pulled her forward, their noses mere inches apart. "You're my best friend, and I care a lot about you. You can trust me with anything, but I can't help you unless you tell me what happened!"

Frida stared into Manny's brown eyes, and Manny stared at her sky blue eyes. Frida sighed and shook her head, looking at her hands. A heavy silence hung in the air and no one tried to shatter it. "I was walking home," Frida finally said. "It was dark and a lot of people were at home. The air mysteriously grew chilly, and I didn't have a jacket with me. I had a bad feeling in my stomach, and something was telling me to turn around. When I did, all I saw was a shadow pouncing on me. Then it was dark."

Manny stared at Frida, a bit shocked at what Frida had just told him. "That monster just came at you out no where?" he asked incredulous. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Frida smiled and touched his cheek then slipped her hand into his hair. "Manny, you do everything for me because you can transform into El Tigre. For once, I wanted to take this on by myself," she said. "Besides, I'm still here, so I think I took care of the matter very well."

"You were lying behind a dumpster wearing nothing but ripped pajamas, which looked pretty provocative for someone like you to wear," he said.

Frida punched him in the arm. "Ow," Manny whined teasingly. "You punched me. Kiss my boo-boo now." Frida smiled and rolled her eyes. "You can be a bit of an asshole sometimes. But you're my best friend, so I guess I have to put up with you, Manny," she said.

Manny smiled and rested her head on his pillow. Frida looked at Manny for a while and set down her textbook. "Hey, did you hear about the robbery with El Oso?" she asked. Manny looked at her and shook her head.

"No. Why?"

"Rumor has it that some new superhero stopped him in his tracks and got him sent to jail. Then this new hero just vanished," Frida explained.

Manny sat up and stared at Frida curiously. "How do you know this exactly?" he asked. Frida smoothed her back and smiled. "It's all over the news and it's been the talk of the town," she said. "I was surprised that you didn't stop him."

"How is that I didn't know about El Oso?" Manny demanded.

"Don't let it get to you. It was a one time thing, so I'm sure it won't happen again," she assured. She closed up her notebook and textbook and shoved them back in her bag. "Anyways, I gotta get going. I have to return to the torture of my house." She smiled and kissed his cheek. Manny's eyes went wide and his face was beet red once again. He looked at Frida and she smiled at him.

"By, tiger boy," she said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Manny watched as Frida exited his room, then sighed and lied back down. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "What the hell is going on with me and I can't I focus straight?" he demanded.

**It's obvious that you like your best friend**

_Will you shut the fuck up already?_


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4

That evening, Manny stayed in his room, deep in thoughts. He knew some things were off, such as the monster appearing out of nowhere, Frida's new appearance (not that he's complaining, of course), Frida getting jumped by a monster, and a new superhero doing his job. Manny frowned. Why were these happening anyways? And what can Manny do to prevent them from happening? More importantly, why did Frida kiss his cheek. Manny sighed and stared at the ceiling, pondering over these things. But his thought were interrupted when he heard Grandpapí sob. Manny groaned and covered his head with his pillow.

"No," he whimpered. "Please, make it stop."

Manny sat up and stormed out of the room, marched up to Grandpapi's room and banged on his door. "Grandpapi, will you please just forget about Sartana already?" Manny yelled. "There's plenty of bones in the graveyard!"

"I shall never forget about my one true love!" Grandpapí cried out. "No one is more sinister than my Sartana!"

"You wanna bet?" Manny grumbled. Manny walked away from the door and strolled into the kitchen. His father was cooking and his back was facing Manny. "Dad, please make Grandpapí stop moarning over Sartana?" Manny pleaded. "I can't take any more sorrow from him."

"Now, Manny. Sartana's was your grandfather's first love. You can't force a lovesick man to forget about his beloved," his father said. "Besides, your grandfather would never listen to me when it comes to Sartana."

Manny groaned and banged his head on the counter, repeatedly hitting it. "Manny, if Grandpapí's crying bothers you so much, why don't you head on down to the supermarket and get me some hot dogs?" Rodolpho suggested. Manny was about to object, when Grandpapi ran around the house in nothing but his birthday suit. Manny held back his barf and walked out the door, stuffing his keys in his pocket. "I'll be back in twenty minutes!" he yelled over his shoulders. The last thing he heard before closing the door was his father yelling at Grandpapí to put on some clothes.

"And he wonders why he's single," Manny mutters.

As he walked down the sidewalk towards the supermarket, a silhouette that stood on top of a building staring at Manny, its eyes lingering on the boy.

* * *

Manny walked out of the supermarket with the grocery bag in his hands. He stuffed some marshmallows in his mouth and walked back to his house, swinging the grocery bag in a bored manner. Many of the shops were closed, and sounds of chatters and car horns were replaced with the soft chirps of crickets. Manny popped several marshmallows in his mouth and looked around, his teeth chomping down on the treat

"Sure is quiet," Manny said.

The gentle air grew chilly, making Manny shudder a bit. Though the streets were empty, Manny couldn't shake the feeling that someone-or something- was watching him. Manny looked over his shoulders and saw that there was nobody stalking him, but that didn't seem to assure the teen. He slowed down his pace and cautiously looked around, his hands on his belt buckle in needed. Manny stopped walking and just stood there, listening intently to any abnormal sounds. Just as Manny was about to take a step further, the beast that attacked him last time charged at him and pounced on him, baring out its claws. Manny turned around and gave the beast a powerful kick in its guts, sending it crashing to the ground. He spun his belt buckle and transformed into El Tigre.

"El Tigre!" he shouted.

The beast got back on its feet and glared at El Tigre. El Tigre glared back at the creature, extending out his claws. "So. You decided you show your pretty little face again? Came back for round two, huh?" El Tigre snarled. "Well, we finish this now!"

The monster growled and charged at him. El Tigre did the same and punched its jaw. The beast returned the gesture by punching El Tigre in his stomach, sending the hero flying across the city. El Tigre crashed through a window and landed in a bedroom. He sat up and rubbed his head, groaning. He wiped off a drop of blood from the side of his mouth and looked up, only to see a couple doing their "business" on the bed.

"Oh shit! Uh, sorry! Didn't mean to barge in on you two!" El Tigre exclaimed, preparing to jump out of a window. "Um… don't mind me, just… keep doing what you're doing! Bye!"

El Tigre jumped out and landed on the sidewalk, trying so hard not to barf after what he just saw. "That's something that's gonna scar me for the rest of my life," he murmured. "That's even more disgusting than Grandpapi streaking all over the house." He looked up and, before he could even react or defend himself, the creature grabbed his shoulders and pinned him to the ground, blowing its hot breath onto his face. El Tigre struggled to escape from the beast's grasp, but the creature's strength overcame the hero.

"Get off of me!" El Tigre shouted.

After a moment, of struggling, El Tigre stopped and stared at his opponent, awaiting for whatever's coming to him. No one did anything for a while; they just stared at each other for the longest period of time. "Well?" El Tigre said after a while had passed. "Aren't you going to finish me off?"

The creature stared at him and got off the El Tigre. El Tigre got back on his feet and stared at the creature. His eyes grew wide when he saw that the cat like monster had transformed into a human. Since it was so dark, and the moon's light was dim, El Tigre couldn't see the person clearly. All he could make out was a pair of orange cat ears and an orange striped tail.

"Do you want me to finish you off?" the mysterious person asked in a female's voice.

El Tigre merely stared at the silhouetted person. The mysterious person giggled, turned around and dashed off. 'Hey, w-wait up!" El Tigre yelled, running as well. The person led the tiger boy into the park, deep within the forest of trees. "Will you slow down?" After a while of running, El Tigre stopped to catch his breath. He leaned against a tree, panting heavily.

"I'm impressed. You managed to catch up with me. If it were El Oso, he'd be out like a light."

El Tigre looked up and spotted the mysterious person standing on a tree branch. "So you're that new superhero that put El Oso in jail?" He asked. "Who are you exactly? Where did you come from? And why are you doing my job?"

"My my. So many questions," the silhouette replied. "My identity is for me to know, and you to find out. But don't think that this will be the last you you'll see me. We'll come across paths again."

"Who are you?" El Tigre asked again.

The shadowed person giggled and stared at El Tigre. "Until we meet again, this is goodbye, Manny Rivera!" Before El Tigre could say anything, the person turned around and jumped off the branch, then disappeared into the night. El Tigre stared at the branch the mystery person once stood on, then turned around and walked off. Confused, he exited the park and walked home. He picked up his abandoned grocery bag, transformed back to his civilian form. As he shoved a handful of marshmallows in his mouth, Manny could only think about the mysterious person. Who was that person, and where did she-he thought it was a she-come from? Having enough surprises for one evening, Manny headed home, not knowing that the strange person was actually watching him from across the street, standing on top of a building. The shadowed person watched Manny walk off and chuckled under its breath then turned around and ran on top of many building tops until it was out of sight.

* * *

Manny arrived at school the next day, drowsiness clearly overcame him. After what had happened last night, he couldn't sleep a wink. All he could do was think about the person. Manny yawned and stretched his arms, then rubbed his eyes. He hoped he didn't fall aleep in class, although he wouldn't mind taking a nap during fifth period. He headed down the hall towards his locker, when he spotted Frida down the hall. A group of girls surrounded her, showering compliments on the blue haired girl.

"Oh my god! It's so beautiful!" one said.

"It so suits you, Frida!" another added.

"You, like, have to tell me which store you got this from!" a third had said.

Frida spotted Manny at his locker and waved the group of girls goodbye and walked towards Manny. "Geez. What happened to you?" she asked. Manny held back a yawn and shrugged. "Didn't get any sleep last night. Had a lot on my mind," he answered. "Anyways, what was with the girls?"

Frida smiled and held up her head, showing Manny an object on her neck. It was a leather collar with red gems on the side. Dangling from the accessory was a diamond shaped tag with a cursive "G" engraved on it. Manny leaned in closer so he could get a better look. "Looks good on you," he commented. "It really does suit you." Frida smiled and looked at her friend, a look of concern on her face.

"Hey, Manny. You sure you're okay?" Frida asked, leaning against a locker. "You really don't look yourself."

"I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me," he assured her. Frida stared at him and rested her hand on his cheek, making Manny's heart beat faster. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then pulled away and smiled at bit, a small tint grazing on her cheek. "Too late, tiger boy," she said. "Take it easy today, alright?" Manny smiled and nodded. Frida smiled and dropped her hand from his cheek, then turned around and walked off to class. Manny froze in his spot, now wide awake. He knew he was blushing, and he could feel his heart pounding. So many things ran around his head. Was he beginning to develop a crush on Frida, his best friend since kindergarten? No, it couldn't be. He doesn't like Frida… right?


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

While Miss. Gonzales lectured on about mythology, Manny was completely spaced out. Many things swam around in his brain. First, who was that mysterious person last night? If Manny knew any better, that person was trying to overthrow him out of business. But on the other hand, it was quite intriguing. Why would someone try to overcome him from being a superhero with revealing his or her identity? Manny sighed and stared at Frida. As always, in every class, she sat next to him. She looked at him and smiled. Manny smiled weakly and turned his gaze to his desk. That was another problem of his: Frida. Ever since this morning, he's been feeling a bit weird.

'_I can't like Frida,' _Manny thought. _'We've been friends since kindergarten. I can't let a little crush ruin our friendship!"_

But as he said that, he thought about their sentimental moment they had at his house. He had remembered how she gave him a small peck on the cheek, obviously leaving the hero dumbfounded. Manny sighed and tapped his pencil lightly on his desk, staring at the clock impatiently. _'C'mon, stupid bell! Ring aleady!' _Manny yelled in his mind.

"Now class," Miss Perez was saying. "Starting this week, we will create an acronym poster about the gods and goddesses. I'll go into details tomorrow, but right now I want you to start thinking about who you want to you."

The class began to buzz, talking about who's going to do which god or goddess. "Now class, I want to remind you this is an individual project, so there's no group help on this. But three projects that I find most suitable will receive twenty bonus points and, if they're lucky, I will purchase two boxes of pizza for them, as well as McDonald's."

That was all Miss. Gonzales needed to say. As soon as she said "pizza" and "McDonald's," the class lit up and began to talk excitedly. Frida smiled and looked Manny. 'I'm so doing Artemis! Goddess of the hunt and moon! I'm so there!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing, Manny?" Manny shrugged and rubbed his head. "I'm not so sure," he said. "I may do Hercules or something." Frida nodded and began packing up. "So what's new with you, Miss. Frida?" Frida smirked and slipped her backpack on as they exited out of the as the bell rang.

"Well, the Atomic Sombreros got a gig," she informed him. "At our homecoming dance."

Manny groaned and smacked his face with his palm. "I hate homecoming," Manny complained. "It's one of the stupidest things here at this school. All the girls in the school act like dimbos and retarded, and try to act sassy. " A they passed by, girls were practically fawning over guys. "Exhibit A." Frida rolled her eyes and smiled teasingly. "Aw, but I thought tigers like 'em feisty," Frida teased. Manny smiled and gently shoved Frida.

"Ha ha, very funny," he chuckled. "Besides, I don't even know why they're bringing it up now when the dance is three weeks away."

Frida shrugged. "You never really know what's going on in the dance committee's mind," she said simply. "Besides, no one said you had to get a date for the dance. Just go with a friend and you're set." Manny smiled and cracked his hands. A loud scream rippled through the hallways, piercing everyone's ears. Zoe ran down the hall with her hair stuck up in different angles, her face covered in smoke, and her clothes was burned around the edges and had a small fire lit on the tip of her hair. Zoe marched right up to Frida and glared at her. "You little bitch! Look at what you did to me!" she screeched.

"What? All I did was spruce you up a bit," she giggled. "I mean, you should thank me."

"By putting a bomb in my locker?!" Zoe demanded, holding up the remains of what seemed like a present box. Frida smirked and put on a fake syrupy smile on. "Yup." Zoe snarled under her breath and shoved Frida to the ground. "You know, I do feel bad for you, Manny," Zoe purred, smiling at the boy seductively and walking towards him. "To be stuck with this bitch when you can have an insight of what a real woman tastes like."

"Sorry, but I don't go for gothic whores like you," Manny spat back. "I'd rather be with Frida than with you, bitch."

Frida got back up and gave Frida a cold glare. "You heard the guy. Get your fake Nicki Minaj ass out of here," Frida yelled. Zoe gave her a nasty look and slapped her so hard her side of a locker. A crowd saw this and came over to watch the spectacle. Frida looked at Zoe and glared. Manny tried to pull Frida way, but she remained fixed on her spot. Everyone who was in the hallway crowded around the two girls, thinking that a fight was about to break out "Frida, c'mon let's go," Manny urged her. "We don't need this shit." Manny looked at Frida and saw something new. Her usual bubbly blue eyes turned silver and glowed red with anger.

"No," Frida growled. "I need to teach this little bitch a little lesson."

She yanked her arm out of his grip and walked towards Zoe. Zoe smirked and threw the first punch at the girl. Frida stumbled back and held her mouth. "You know, Frida, I feel bad for whoever has to put up with your shit-looking face-" Zoe was cut off when Frida punched Zoe in the face. Frida smirked and cracked her knuckles. "I'm sorry. What were you saying, Aves?" Frida said in a fake sympathetic voice, throwing her backpack to the ground. Zoe growled and swung her fist at the blue-haired girl, but Frida maneuvered out of the way just in time and punched Zoe right in the face again. "C'mon, Aves. Hit me with your best shot." Manny watched as Frida kneed Zoe's stomach, making the girl whimper in pain, and shove her to the ground. Zoe lied there on the ground, coughing up blood, and looked at Frida in fright.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Frida taunted. She scowled at Zoe and kicked the side of her jaw. "Worthless piece of shit."

Zoe slowly got up, but Frida took her shirt and pinned her to the lockers. Frida gripped Zoe's neck tightly and slowly began squeezing it. "Don't think that I'm gonna lose to you, bitch," Frida hissed. "I'm not taking any of your crap today. You think you're so much better than everyone, but look at you now. Weak, defenseless, and completely vulnerable. If you can't seem to take me down, down even bother with me."

"Frida, that's enough!" Manny yelled.

He pried Frida off of Zoe and held on her. "You've done enough damage. I think she gets the message," he said. Zoe was on the ground, blood leaking out of her nose and mouth, and covered her left eye. Frida stared at Zoe with complete disdain and gave the injured girl one last kick in the guts. "You got lucky this time, bitch. But next time, I won't let Manny stop me," she said.

"And just what is going on here?"

Manny looked up and saw Principal Gonzales walking towards the spectacle. The crowd quickly disappeared and rushed towards the class, leaving the three all alone. "Zoe, Frida, my office. Mr. Rivera, get to class," she ordered. Manny looked at his mom and at Frida. Frida smiled and kissed his cheek. Manny noticed that her eyes were blue again. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, Rivera," she said, blushing a bit. "And, uh, you can let go of me now." Manny blushed as well and rubbed the back of his neck. Frida picked up her bag and walked off with the principal. Manny sighed as he trudged off to gym, his mind deep in thought.

* * *

By lunchtime, everyone knew about the fight with Frida and Zoe. A few guys had taken videos of it and one posted it on Facebook by the end of fourth period. Everywhere you went you'd hear "Yo, did you see Frida knock the shit out of Aves?" or "Aves got wrecked!" and the most occasional "Suarez beat Aves' sorry little ass!" Manny sat at this usual lunch table and ate his mac and cheese.

'_Now I know something's up,' _Manny thought to himself. _'It's not every day your eyes turn color. Frida's up to something, but what?'_

"Yo, Rivera!" a boy yelled at Manny, snapping Manny out of his thought. Manny looked up and nodded at the boy who called him. "Did you hear anything about Suarez?" he said. Manny sighed and shook his head. "No, I haven't seen Frida all day. Why?" Manny asked.

"You didn't hear? Frida and Zoe both were suspended from school for a week."

Manny stopped eating and looked at the boy. "How do you know that?" Manny asked. "Last period Nick was helping out in the office. He overheard the principal talking. Then their parents came to pick them up," the kid said. Manny looked at his empty plate and grabbed his milk. "Uh, thanks, bro. I'll talk to you later!" Manny quickly walked away from the kid and out of the cafeteria. He whipped out his phone from his pocket and dialed Frida's number.

"Come on, Frida, pick up the damn phone," he muttered.

After the third ring, Frida picked up the phone. Manny could hear music playing in the background. "What's up, Manny?" she said. Manny hated it the fact that he was blushing at the sound of her voice. "Uh, hey. Just wanted to check up on you. Heard you got suspended," he said.

"Oh, yeah. Dad was pretty pissed at me for getting into a fight. So I'm grounded for two weeks," Frida replied. "In my defense, she was the one who threw the first punch. I was just defending myself."

Manny chuckled a bit and leaned against a locker. "I didn't expect you to fight like that. That was pretty hot," he said, then blushed at what he just said. "I mean extreme. T-that was really extreme."

'_Dammit, Manny! Why you'd say 'hot'?'_ Manny scolded to himself.

Manny heard Frida giggle on the other line. "Yeah, well, some things I like to keep to myself, Manny," she said. "Anyways, gotta go. Pizza's here. See you after school, Manny!" And with that, Frida hung up. Manny sighed and closed his phone, shoving it back into his pocket.

'_Something's not right,' _Manny thought, walking back to the cafeteria. _'Frida's acting really weird lately. Too mysterious for a girl like her. I think I'll keep an eye on her.'_

* * *

That night during dinner, Manny thought about the whole Frida situation. He tuned out Grandpapí's (who finally stopped mourning over Sartana) and Rodolfo's conversation as he thought about the whole thing.

"Mijo, is everything all right?" Rodolfo asked. "You've been sitting here quietly, not even taking a bite out of your macaroni."

Manny sighed and shrugged. "It's just that Frida's been acting weird all the sudden. It's like she's a different person or something," he said. "I mean, I don't know if it's her time of the month, or if she's trying to impress someone. I just don't know."

Rodolfo nodded and ate his macaroni. "I understand, son. Females are very complex creatures. Sometimes it's best not to pry into their business," he said.

"But Frida and I have been best friends since we were kids!" Manny exclaimed. "She's like an open book. But lately, she's kinda secretive. Like today at school, Frida got into a fight with Zoe Aves, and for some reason, her eyes turned silver and were glowing red, sort of."

"Hmm," Grandpapí said. "Sounds like you have a little crush on Frida."

Manny face turned beet red as his father and grandfather laughed at him. "N-no I don't!" Manny grumbled. "I-I'm just w-worried about her, that's all." Rodolfo smiled at his son and patted his back. "It's okay to have a crush, mijo," he said. "You were bound to fall in love with Frida sooner or later."

Manny groaned and hit his head on the table. "I wonder if it's too late to run away," he mumbled. Rodolfo wiped a stray tear away and drank his water. "But I do believe Manny is right about something. Frida does seem to be acting peculiar," Rodolfo said. "Earlier today, I saw her walking into the darkest part of the forest. It was getting dark, so, naturally, I followed her."

"Then what happened?" Manny asked.

"It all happened in a blur. All I remember is that a cat popped out of nowhere and began scratching my face. By the time I got it off, Frida disappeared. The only thing that was left in her presence was a 'G' carved in a tree bark."

Manny furrowed his eyebrows together and tapped his fork against his plate in thought. "That's strange," Manny murmured. "Frida got a leather collar with a 'G' on the tag. I feel like the two are connected somehow."

"Sounds like the spirit of La Gatita has awoken," Grandpapí said.

"The spirit of La Gatita?" Manny repeated. "Grandpapí, has there ever another person who had a power and strength equivalent to the original El Tigre?"

"Yes and yes. Many years back, when El Tigre was around, there had been a war between the heroes and the villains. No one knew what the war was about, or who started it, but all they knew was that there had to be a victor. Though El Tigre didn't know which path he should take, he joined the heroes and battled against the villains. That was when he met… her."

"Her?" Manny questioned.

"Si, Manny. Her. Her name was La Gatita, a hero protecting her family from calamity. Though her strength and skills were very much similar to a cat, she was the strongest and fiercest female El Tigre had ever laid his eyes on. From the moment they first met, it was love at first sight. It was a match made from heaven. But even a couple such as these two was destined for doom.

"True, they did love each other, but they cannot pursue in a relationship because of the war. But one tragic day everything changed. As always, the heroes and villains fought, and El Tigre was fighting profusely. But while he was fighting off a villain, he did not know that another villain was sneaking up behind him with a knife in his hand. La Gatita saw this and shoved her beloved out of the way, losing her own life in the process. Anger boiled inside El Tigre, and his powers lashed out were out of control. The villains ran off in fright, and the heroes claimed victory. But El Tigre was too depressed to celebrate. After her funeral, El Tigre swore to his love that he will love her for the rest of his life. Legend has it that La Gatita's soul roams around in a form of a cat, searching for her loved one."

Manny remained silent as Grandpapí told the story, not saying anything for a while. "That's pretty sad," Manny said after a while. "I kinda feel bad for El Tigre." Rodolfo nodded and collected the plates. "True, he was greatly depressed, but they say that they were reunited once more in the afterworld." Manny nodded and got up from his seat, transforming into El Tigre.

"I've had too much going on in one day. I'm gonna take a walk," he said, jumping off the railing and out into the street.

Rodolfo sighed and looked at his father. "Papí, where is the rest of my guacamole?" he asked. Grandpapí looked at his son with guacamole smeared all over his face. "I don't know," he answered.

El Tigre lied down on the grass in the park, staring at the full moon sky. New questions filled his head with curiosity, and he wished to have an answer for them all. "La Gatita, huh?" El Tigre mumbled. "I wonder…" El Tigre closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. A shadowed figure leaped in the air, with the moon shining brightly behind it, then disappeared. El Tigre got up on his feet and looked at the sky, then over to the forest. Looking around to see if anyone was around, El Tigre ran off after the silhouetted person.

"I'm not fit enough for this!" El Tigre yelled.

After a while, he halted to a stop and panted heavily. "Okay, that's it," he gasped. "Next time, I'm buying a go-kart." El Tigre looked around and realized that it was the same place where he met up with the mysterious hero. El Tigre looked around and spotted something marked on a nearby tree. Intrigued, El Tigre walked over. Carved in the tree bark was "G". But what really interested him was that the letter was in cursive. An image of Frida's collar flashed in front of El Tigre's eyes. And if his memory was correct, Frida's collar tag had a cursive "G" imprinted on it. El Tigre frowned in confusion as he fingered the etching.

"I see you like my artwork."

El Tigre looked up and saw the figure lying on the branch, staring at Manny. "It's nice to see you again, Manny Rivera." El Tigre looked at the figure and at the sketching. "I don't understand. You come a defeat a villain, yet you hide in the shadows. Why is that?" El Tigre asked.

"I like the idea of leaving Miracle City in suspense about who is saving the town from their dark demise, you know?" she said. "'Course, recognition would be nice, but I like playing the role of Batman. I kinda like working in the shadows. A bit gloomy and all, but it's doable."

The story of La Gatita popped into El Tigre's head as he looked at the figure. "Is your name by any chance La Gatita?" El Tigre asked. The shadowed figure stared at El Tigre in shock, not saying anything for a while. "H-h-how do you know my name?" it demanded in a quivering voice. "Y-you know what? It doesn't matter! Goodbye, El Tigre!" Before El Tigre could say anything, the figure jumped off and disappeared. Luckily for El Tigre, his eyesight was pretty sharp, so he easily spotted the person.

"Not this time!" he shouted, chasing after her.

El Tigre followed the person out of the forest and out into the empty street. "Come back here!" El Tigre caught up to her and held on to her arm, pulling her back. "Who are you, are why do you keep running away from me?"

"I know what you're thinking, Tigre, but you have to understand. If you or anyone here in this town ever found out my true identity, then I can never reach my goal," she said. "I want you to know that I am a girl, by the way, but my identity is to remain a secret."

She looked at him and El Tigre thought that she was crying, but it was hard to see because of the darkness. To El Tigre's shock, she leaned in and kissed him right on the lips. He was too surprised to do or say anything. She pulled away and rubbed his cheek tenderly. "I'm really sorry about this." El Tigre was still paralyzed after that kiss, but snapped back to reality when she took his shoulder and crashed her knees against his balls. El Tigre groaned and looked up, only to get punched in the face, hard enough for him to pass out. The shadowed La Gatita frowned and crouched down at the unconscious El Tigre and gave him a small peck on the lips.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, Manny. I really am sorry, my love," she said, turning around and running into darkness, her presence fading away.


End file.
